It is referred to in the French work by Fr François Poiré called The Triple Crown of the Holy Mother of God (1630) which I translated on this blog starting on the 1st of May 2024.
I offer this annotated edition of St Bonaventure’s work as a small gift to our gentle Queen and Mother in gratitude for all her graces and favours, requesting her continued help and protection for the author and his family.
👈The Annunciation, early 1460s; by Willem Vrelant (Flemish, died 1481, active 1454 - 1481). The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.
The Latin text and references are based upon Speculum Beatae Mariae Virginis (1904). The English text is based upon that attributed to Sr Mary Emmanuel O.S.B. (published by Herder in 1932). Amazon's various editions ackowledge that this text is in the Public Domain worldwide, attributing it to the text of a Dublin edition (author unknown) published in 1849.
Chapter 4
Part 1
How fitting this title is because in her all vices were absent and every virtue shone forth.
Hail Mary. This most sweet and affectionate name, so full of grace and so noble, so glorious and so worthy, excellently befits the blessed Virgin, Mother of Our Lord. Most fittingly is so loving a virgin named Mary, for she is Mary, in whom all vices are absent and every virtue shine forth. She is, I say, Mary who was entirely immune from the seven capital sins and deservedly possessed all the contrary virtues. Mary countered pride through her humility most deep; envy through her charity most loving; anger through her gentleness most meek; sloth through her diligence most attentive; avarice through her poverty most simple; gluttony through her temperance most restrained; lust through her virginity most chaste. We can gather all these things from the references to Mary in Scripture.
First, Mary’s humility was most deep. She is that Mary of whom St. Luke says[1]:
“And Mary said, ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord’”
O wonderful and profound humility of Mary! Behold when the Archangel speaks to Mary, he calls her full of grace[2]; the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost is announced; Mary is made Mother of God; Mary is set before all creatures; Mary is made the Lady of Heaven and earth – and for all that, she is not the least elated but in all she is deeply grounded in humility, saying: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord.” She did not say : Behold the Mother of the Lord; she did not say: Behold the sovereign Lady of the world; but she said instead: Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Well, therefore, doth Bede say[3]:
“Mary never exalted herself by reason of heavenly gifts; as she became more and more acquainted with heavenly mysteries, she fixed her mind all the more firmly in humility, answering the Angel, ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord.’”
This is an example to many who in honours and prosperity, in graces and virtues, do not humble themselves with Mary and with Christ, but grow inflated with pride like Eve and Lucifer. We note too how the humility of Mary was most certainly not in word only but also manifested itself in deeds; not just in the word of her official reply, but in the fact of her submitting to the legal purification; not just in the word by which she humbled herself as a submissive handmaid, but also in the deed by which she humbled herself as guilty and a sinner. For she is that Mary of whom it is said in St. Luke[4]:
“After the days of her purification . . . were accomplished.”
O hard, unhappy pride! O proud and unhappy hardness of the sinner! Behold Mary, who is without all sin, submitted herself to the law of purification, and thou, a wretch full of sins, submittest not to the law of satisfaction.
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The Visitation, early 1460s; by Willem Vrelant. The Getty Museum, L.A. |
“Mary rising up with haste, went into the hill country.”
She went, I say, so that she might visit, and salute, and minister to Elizabeth. See how this visitation of Mary was full of charity: in the description of that visit Mary is four times named and her charity towards God and towards her neighbour is most fully declared. Charity to our neighbour should be observed and cherished in the heart, in word and in deed. Mary had charity in her heart towards her neighbour, and therefore, arising, Mary went with haste into the hill country. What was it that urged her on to haste in this office of charity but the charity that burned in her heart? We read[6] that the shepherds came with haste to the crib; that Mary went with haste to render a service; and that Zacheus made haste to come down and receive the Lord into his house. Woe, therefore, to those who are tardy in works of charity!
Mary, again, cherished charity in her words to her neighbour; she is that Mary of whom it is said[7]: “When Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary” etc. Charity in greeting our neighbour and on all other occasions of charitable speech is, I say, to be cultivated and cherished. The Angel saluted Mary; Mary saluted Elizabeth; the Son of Mary saluted those Marys whom He met coming forth from the sepulchre, saying to them[8]: “All hail!” Woe to those who, out of hatred or dislike, deny to their neighbour greetings of politeness. Woe to those who deceitfully salute their neighbour like Judas, when he said[9]: “Hail, Rabbi!” Oh, how sweetly did Mary know how to greet! O Mary, deign to greet us by thy grace! And most certainly she willingly salutes us by her benefits and her consolation, if we willingly greet her with Ave Maria.
Mary not only had charity in her heart and in her words, but she also performed charitable deeds. For she is that same Mary of whom it is said[10]: “Mary remained with her about three months.” She remained for the service and the consolation of Elizabeth. Therefore St. Ambrose saith[11]:
“She who came out of charity, remained at her post.”
As Mary in all things had charity for her neighbour, so above all things she had charity towards God. For she is that same Mary who said[12]:
“And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.”
The soul magnifies that which it loves and rejoices in. Therefore, the soul of Mary most befittingly magnified God and most fervently rejoiced in God, because she so ardently loved God. Of this love Master Hugh of St. Victor saith a good word[13]:
“Because the love of the Holy Spirit burned in a singular manner in her heart, therefore the power of the same Spirit did wonderful things in her flesh.”
Thirdly, see how Mary was most meek by gentleness, most patient in all adversity. For she is that same Mary to whom it is said, according to St. Luke[14]:
“And he (Simeon) said to Mary His Mother: Behold this Child is set for the fall and for the resurrection of many in Israel and for a sign which shall be contradicted, and thine own soul a sword shall pierce.”
This sword signifies the bitter Passion and death of her Son. The material sword cannot kill or wound the soul, so the sharp Passion of Christ, although by compassion it pierced the soul of Mary, never dealt it a mortal wound. For Mary never killed the executioners of her Son by hatred nor wounded them by impatience. Now, if other martyrs were most patient in their bodily martyrdom, how much more so was our martyr, Mary, in her spiritual martyrdom? Of her noble martyrdom St. Jerome saith[15]:
“Since the sword of Christ’s Passion pierced her spiritually and most fiercely, she was more than a martyr.”
O marvellous patience and meekness of Mary, who was not only most patient while her Son was crucified in her presence, but also before the crucifixion, when her Son was reviled, as it is said in the Gospel of St. Mark[16]:
“Is not this the carpenter, the Son of of Mary?” and a little further on: “And they were scandalized in regard of him.”
Truly is Christ a carpenter, but He made the morning light and the sun.[17] Alas, how far from the grace of Mary most meek are they who are so hard-hearted, so impatient and so irritable as to torment the members of their household, their neighbours and their associates.
Footnotes
[1] Luc. i. 38.
[2] Luc. i. 28. et dein v. 35.
[3] Homil. de Solemn. Deipar., quando salutavit Elisabeth (inter aestiv. de Sanct.), post initium.
[4] Luc. ii. 22.
[5] Luc. i. 39.
[6] Luc. ii. 16. et dein c. xix. 6 (Zacheus).
[7] Luc. xli. et seq.
[8] Matth. xxviii. 9.
[9] Matth. xxvi. 49.
[10] Luc. i. 56.
[11] II. in Luc. n. 21.
[12] Luc. i. 46. seq.
[13] Hugo de S. Victore, de Mariae virgin. c. 2. ante finem.
[14] Luc. ii. 34-5.
[15] Epist. cit, n. 14.
[16] Marc. vi. 3.
[17] Psalm. lxxiii. 16.
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SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.
The Virgin of Tenderness. >12th century.
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me, shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting. Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xxiv. 30-31.30-31.
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